{"id":60932,"date":"2025-11-19T21:58:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T21:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/60932\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T21:58:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T21:58:09","slug":"l-a-city-controllers-race-gets-ruff-as-a-candidate-targets-kenneth-mejias-corgis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/60932\/","title":{"rendered":"L.A. city controller’s race gets ruff, as a candidate targets Kenneth Mejia’s corgis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia loves to show off his two corgis, displaying them on his social media accounts<\/a>, his financial reports<\/a> and his reelection campaign materials.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Cardboard cutouts of corgis even adorn the entrance to Mejia\u2019s office at City Hall East, making it resemble the dorm room of an especially proud dog parent.<\/p>\n

Now, Mejia\u2019s corgis are the subject of a complaint submitted to the city\u2019s Ethics Commission, alleging that the controller has impermissibly blurred the lines between his government communications and his campaign operation.<\/p>\n

Former State Sen. Isadore Hall<\/a>, looking to unseat Mejia in June, conceded in his complaint that the corgi images \u2014 especially the one meant to look like Sherlock Holmes, with a pipe and magnifying glass \u2014 are \u201cadorable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Hall suggested that the graphics run afoul of a city law barring candidates from using city resources, since the cap-wearing corgi appears both on Mejia\u2019s official city website and on his campaign yard signs. <\/p>\n

\"Images <\/p>\n

Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia uses images of corgis, sometimes sporting a pipe and a magnifying glass, on his website, his campaign materials and even the entrance to his office at City Hall East.<\/p>\n

(David Zahniser \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cThese practices, if substantiated, undermine public confidence in the neutrality of the City Controller\u2019s office and violate clear prohibitions on using public assets for campaign advantage,\u201d Hall said in his complaint.<\/p>\n

The complaint, and the focus on the controller\u2019s signature mascots, has sent the race for the city\u2019s top auditor position in an unusual direction. Jane Nguyen, a Mejia campaign spokesperson, pushed back on the idea that the controller failed to comply with city law, while also suggesting that Hall is \u201cjealous of our cute corgi graphics.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an email, Nguyen said it\u2019s common for politicians to use similar designs and color schemes in their campaigns and their official government duties. At the same time, she said the \u201cSherlock corgi\u201d used in city publications is different from the one in Mejia\u2019s reelection campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is wearing glasses in one version and is not wearing glasses in the other version,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

David Tristan, executive director of the city\u2019s Ethics Commission, which levies fines when enforcing local campaign finance laws, declined to comment, saying his office \u201ccannot confirm or deny the existence of a complaint or investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attorney Jessica Levinson, a former Ethics Commission president, said the agency responds seriously to allegations that city resources have been misused for campaign purposes. Still, she voiced doubts that Hall\u2019s complaint would lead to a meaningful ethics case.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not the type of thing that\u2019s going to topple democracy,\u201d she said. \u201cEven if the allegations are true, I don\u2019t think this weighs particularly heavily on the minds of voters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hall, 53, is basing his complaint on a city law that bars city employees from using city cars, email lists, supplies or other municipal resources for campaign purposes. For example, city employees cannot take part in campaign activities while wearing uniforms with \u201cofficial city insignia.\u201d<\/p>\n

The complaint goes beyond Mejia\u2019s corgis, which are a diminutive herding breed beloved by the late Queen Elizabeth II<\/a>. Hall also contends that the controller\u2019s campaign logo, font colors and other design elements match the branding on his official city website, making it appear that the city is effectively endorsing his reelection bid.<\/p>\n

Nguyen said Mejia\u2019s corgi images and other designs were created as part of his 2022 campaign, without using city resources. She also said that the campaign logo is \u201cfar different\u201d from the controller\u2019s city logo, since it contains the word \u201cfor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mejia, 35, has proven to be a savvy purveyor of marketing<\/a>, distributing corgi stickers<\/a> at community events and sending his staff to City Council meetings in green city controller jackets. He and his team are equally strategic about publicizing data on homelessness spending, legal payouts and other city expenses.<\/p>\n

On his campaign website<\/a>, Mejia described himself as \u201cthe father of two corgis, Killa and Kirby. He is known for bringing his dogs to work, walking them down the marble corridors of City Hall. They also showed up this year on an Instagram video<\/a> where Mejia and his staff performed choreographed moves to Kendrick Lamar\u2019s \u201cNot Like Us\u201d outside City Hall.<\/p>\n

\"Isadore <\/p>\n

Former state Sen. Isadore Hall has filed an ethics complaint against City Controller Kenneth Mejia, his opponent in the June election. <\/p>\n

(Isadore Hall for Controller)<\/p>\n

Hall has faced scrutiny over his own election activities.<\/p>\n

In 2014, The Times reported<\/a> that Hall\u2019s Senate committees spent $7,812 on cigars and membership at cigar lounges, $42,000 on airfare and hotels and $11,000 to stay at the Fairmont Hotel in Kihei, Hawaii, during a conference.<\/p>\n

Hall defended the expenditures, saying they were for campaign fundraisers, dinners with potential donors and other political activities. He won his Senate race and made an unsuccessful run for Congress two years later.<\/p>\n

Nguyen, in her email, pointed out that Hall was also accused of illegally using general election donations<\/a> to pay for his primary campaign for Congress in 2016. In response to those and other violations, the Federal Election Commission<\/a> issued a $24,000 penalty to Hall\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n

Hall said earlier this year that he learned from the experience and had held his accountant accountable for the error.<\/p>\n

Hall is not the only candidate running against Mejia. On Tuesday, entertainment industry executive Zachary Sokoloff formally launched his own bid for controller, promising to bring a \u201cproblem-solving approach to City Hall.\u201d Sokoloff, 36, said he would \u201clead by listening\u201d and \u201cbring people together to fix what\u2019s broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rick Taylor, Sokoloff\u2019s campaign strategist, said he views Hall\u2019s ethics complaint as \u201cnot relevant\u201d to the upcoming campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s focus on what the public wants to know,\u201d he said. \u201cThey want to know who\u2019s capable and competent and can do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n